Identify your Micro SD Card Class Rating / Speed Rating

So much of our media is stored on Micro SD cards today, from music on our cell-phones to photos on our digital cameras. As our storage devices continue to evolve and encompass more functions – watching films and television shows, playing high-end games, reading books & comics – we need more and more memory to run these features: this, of course, means that Micro SD cards need to be tweaked and improved to meet this growing demand.

Where would you be without your smartphone’s apps?

When you find your phone or tablet over capacity, adding a memory card with greater storage is essential, but what if you’re unsure how to find the right card for your requirements? At eProvided, our experienced team of experts is familiar with recovering data from memory cards of all sizes and types – no matter which files you believe lost, we’ll happily explore every option available as we try to locate your missing data. Want to know more about differentiating one card from another? Read on!

Class Ratings: Explained

Before buying a new MicroSD card, you may be tempted to simply buy the biggest-capacity card you can for the cheapest price. However, depending on the level of performance the card offers, this could be a big mistake – not all cards offer the same transfer speed quality. Choosing the wrong one could cause issues with your device’s performance: apps may slow down, leaving you struggling to get maximum enjoyment from your key features.

SD & MicroSD cards are separated by their class ratings – each card carries one. This tells you its minimum write speed, which is measured in MB (megabytes) per second: those with higher speeds provide faster, more impressive performance, so pay attention to this aspect for memory sticks you consider. The range of ratings includes 2, 4, 6, 10, UHS-I & UHS-II: generally, cards carrying a class rating of 10 offer the best quality for smartphones and tablets.

Minimum Write Speeds: Explored

Cards with a rating of 2 feature a minimum write speed of 2MBs per second – these may be cheap (which may be all you’re concerned with, depending on your budget). However, their performance is unlikely to impress, and will leave you unable to enjoy high-end features, such as HD video.

Class 4 cards’ minimum write speed is 4MBs per second, and is the bare minimum needed to record videos in HD: if you plan to make lots of videos on your smartphone (for example, when traveling, or at an event) then you’ll need this, at the very least, to capture it all in the best quality available. Class 6 cards provide stepped up performance, but class 10 is ideal for today’s smartphones, offering top performance across apps. UHS-I, on the other hand, has a write speed of 50MBs per second, and offers Ultra High Speed quality – yet it requires compatible hardware, make sure your device is compatible before you buy.

It’s worth noting, however, that these class ratings only relate to the minimum write speed each manufacturer guarantees – this is not necessarily reflective of the ‘real’ speed it will perform at. Generally, once actually inserted, data-write speeds are generally higher than that stated; as a rule of thumb, though, the higher the class rating, the better its data transfer performance is – especially when created by reputable manufacturers known for high-quality storage products. Conducting research for the best memory product available is easy, thanks to review sites, and consumers’ feedback on established review sites.

Regardless of your cards class rating, though, if you lose data, you may feel devastated, especially if valuable pictures or videos have vanished or become nonfunctional. Dead MicroSD cards do have a chance.

Here at eProvided, we specialize in recovering lost data, no matter how bad you believe the situation is; give us a call toll free: 1-866-857-5950 to get to a solution!